By Morris Gleitzman
Penguin, 2009
179p.
A new stoy from a popular author, Grace tells its tale from the eyes of a young girl. She lives in a loving family who are members of a very strict religious community. Grace see herself as a sinner and the cause of the problems that happen to her family. When her father is cut off from the rest of the family and the whole church community, Grace tries to make things better and help him to return to them.
Gleitzman has a gentle way of getting his message across about intolerance. He gives a glimpse of life in a very controlled religious community where outsiders are shunned.
Rating 8/10
Reviewed by Judy Sutton
November 9, 2009
By Charlie Higson
Penguin 2009
406p.
Who are the enemy? All the adults in the world appear to have been affected by a disease with horrifying results. Many have died. The remaining adults have bodies rotting from within, covered with boils and sores. Even worse, they are like zombies and hungry!
Only those under fourteen years old remain and they have to fight for their lives. This book describes their lives as they search for some sense of safety in a world of chaos. It is set in central London – a world of deserted houses and dangerous streets with roaming rival groups and attacking grown-ups.
Alhough there are some gross moments, there are moving moments too and you come to care about what could happen to the characters.
I found this to be a gripping story that was very hard to put down. The book should appeal to males and females, but you need a strong stomach.
This is the start of a new series (I’ll be looking out for the next book when published). The author has formerly written the Young Bond series.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed by Judy Sutton
November 9, 2009
Author: Suzanne Collins
This book truly qualifies for the ‘ just couldn’t put this book down’ category. Wow!!! What an adventure!!! Katniss, a young girl from District 12 (a place in the future) elects to save her younger sister from danger and compete in the yearly Reality TV Show: The Hunger Games. Thus begins the fast-paced action where Katniss is forced to obey the only rule: kill the other 23 competitors or be killed. I totally loved this book and can’t wait until the sequel arrives!! At times the dystopia was quite cruel and confronting but themes of loyalty, love and survival make this well worth the read. I would recommend this to any Year 7-10. Five-stars!!
Miss B
Tagged: Dystopia, futuristic October 25, 2009
By Glenda Millard
ABC Books, Sydney, 2003 95p. ill.
Summary: Griffin has to go to school while mama is away getting well. Nell buys him new school clothes and long with his unusual name and his long hair he draws the attention of the bully Scott McAllister. Griffin stand his ground but decides he doesn’t like school so much. On his way home he meets layla from school. Obviously a princess with a crown of daisies on her head, he thinks maybe he can survive school. When layla notices the empty crib in his parents room Griffin tells her about Tishkin. Together they plan a naming day ceremony and invite mama home to share it with the whole Silk family.
Comment: I love Glenda Millards style. It is gentle but packs a punch. This sort of topic while confronting is just the sort of thing young people often have to deal with but is often kept from them.
Rating: 7.5/10
Mrs B
Tagged: death, Families, sharing October 24, 2009
Author: Robert Newton
I read this book within approxamatily 5 hours i will admit it was very short but it was very good all the same. In this book there is a yooung boy Frankie aka Francies which whom the storey is based around or to be more precise he is the one that is telling the storey.
About the Book: Frankie lives in a place called the rocks in sydney at around the time of 1900, He is pretty much just a young boy that has no friends untill a kid moves next door and in the end they become best friends. Rats are a big problem at this time and the goverment have declared that every rat that is court will earn that person a sixpence so Frankie and hes friend form The Black Dog gang and decided that they will catch them and then bread them, BUT this is not all that happens and there are some unexpected twists that happen and i will not be the one to spoil it so if you want to happen to these boys this is the book for you!!!!!
Rating: 8/10 But only because i…… na not going to tell you
Hayden
October 21, 2009
i a, not completely sure what to do so i am hoping this will work
Books are great many people love to read them yet the quite a select fue that dont even care But! not me i love books and everytime that i read a really good book i will do my best to remember to post it here for you all to see and read about it
October 20, 2009
Cassandra Golds
Genre: Love
Older readers
The three main characters of the book are all prisoners – a young main waits in a dank prison; a young woman has locked herself in a self imposed prison of hatred and denial; and Heloise who is a prisoner in all but name .
Heloise lives with her beautiful godmother and the morbid old housekeeper Mrs Moth in an isolated cottage. Next door is a museum of which her godmother is caretaker . Although she has been banned from entering this museum which is dedicated to Mary Child, she cannot help noticing that visitors who have entered happily, depart subdued and fearful.
Denied love and friendship, Heloise yearns for a doll. She eventually finds one under the floorboards in her room, and against her godmothers wishes secretly plays with the doll which she has called Maria and learns to love her. When her godmother discovers her secret she flees with Maria and - guided by the talking Caged Birds of the City she runs away.
A gothic fairy tale, the novel explores hatred, hope and the need for love. Disturbing yet fascinating, the story ends with an entirely unexpected twist.
Mrs GS
Tagged: Gothic fairy tale, Hatred, Love, Repression September 2, 2009
Date Read: 2/06/09 – 3/06/09
By Sandy Fussell
Publ: Walker, Newtown,NSW, 2008 203p
Summary: Iluak and the people of his village are moving across the Arctic for the Summer to hunt whales. Iluak spends his time waiting for Nana’sprophecy to come true. His grandmother is the village shaman. The prophecy says he will meeting the bear because he has something the bear wants and the bear has something Iluak needs. Iluak survives a drop into an icy seal hole and makes his first Caribou kill, but it is the coming of the Northmen which is the ultimate test.
Comment: This is a great way to learn about the culture of the Arctic peoples. The wonderful descriptions of the whale hunt and their nomadic movement with the constant need to build new housing. Highlights the concept of only killing to survive and the deep connection to nature and its impact on teir day to day lives. The plot is beautifully threaded through the eents with us anticipating the meeting of Iluak and the bear. Great secondary characters. Finn his best friend of few words but deep thinking, Iluaks’ sister Miki and the boyhood rival, Tuaq, the new shaman.
Rating: 8/10
Mrs B
Tagged: Arctic, Growing Up July 21, 2009
by Jackie French
This is a story about 3 young women, who start a canteen in France during World War One. They care for the flow of soldiers going to and returning from the Front. Starting with providing food for the soldiers, they end up helping with the huge load of casualties that are being sent by train to hospitals in France and England.
One of the girls, Midge, can drive a car and is recruited to drive an ambulance to transport the wounded soldiers to the station. This takes her close to the front lines where she is involved in helping to care for wounded soldiers, straight from the battlefield.
It is such a moving story, showing the courage involved for both the women volunteers and soldiers in the trenches. There are so many people doing their best to help the soldiers, as the armies were ill equipped. There was not enough food, clothes or medical supplies. Many soldiers suffered from ‘shellshock’ (mental trauma) as well as horrific injuries.
Despite this, the story is uplifting, highlighting the courage shown by the characters in these extreme conditions. The start and finish are set in Australia at an ANZAC Day parade and provide a way into the story for today’s readers.
Mrs S
Tagged: world war one July 21, 2009
By Paul Jennings
Penguin, Ringwood, 2009, 248 p.
Summary:
Robin puts up his hand to support the cause Charlie is raising money for. He offers $500. How is he going to get that. He sells one of the 2 momentoes he has of his mother. She ran away when Robin was little. His father blames him. Robin is always imagining himself doing something horrific. Robin lives with his dad in a ski resort village where his father repairs things. Charlie misinterprets something he does and isn’t speaking to him, his father is hiding something and Verushka is using him for her own reasons. Robin uses the stories he writes to helps his mind understand what is going on.
Comment:
Great use of the stories Robin writes interspersed amongst the plot. I wasn’t sure when I began the book how scarey it would become. To begin the book with an image of Robin imagining his father falling into an icy pit was pretty chilling. The story unfolds in a much more gentle fashion than I imagined. I love the ending story of the frog and the princess.
Rating : 6.5/10
Mrs B
Tagged: Crime, Mystery July 21, 2009
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